Face Swap

Two days later.

The chill in the lower deck hadn't dissipated yet, but the main cabin was bustling with activity.

Xu Hao sat on the wooden chair and touched his chin in front of the bronze mirror.

The mirror reflected an ordinary face: drooping eyes, a slightly flat nose, and sallow skin roughened by years of sea winds. It was a typical face, the kind you see everywhere in the Shengzhou sea area, the face of someone who makes a living at sea.

Even if you threw him into the crowd of refugees at the Sunset Ferry, no one would give him a second glance.

Luo Ying's skills are truly superb.

This girl had just crawled back from the brink of death, and her body was still weak. But she managed to use a few fish skins and some kind of sea monster's glue that she found on the ship to concoct several incredibly realistic human skin masks.

The "Zhenshan" face, for which the Blood-Clad Tower had a bounty of ten thousand taels of gold, has been completely sealed away.

Xu Hao actually knows the art of disguise and bone shrinking; he can change his appearance simply by twisting his bones.

But this skill is a trump card for survival, and it's best to keep it hidden from these newly subdued pirates.

Now that Luo Ying is there as a ready-made cover, it saves us a lot of effort.

"Boss, are the edges still fitting well?" Luo Ying asked softly.

The craftsmanship is excellent. Xu Hao pinched the jawline; it felt warm to the touch, and even the pores were incredibly realistic.

Luo Meng brought over a copper basin, looking at it from left to right, his big face turning red.

"If you want to fart, go outside and do it." Xu Hao didn't even look up.

"No, Boss," Luo Meng couldn't help but mutter. "Your face is so ugly. Even dogs wouldn't give you a second glance on the street. You've lost all your boss's prestige."

Xu Hao glanced at him sideways.

"Want to look impressive? Sure, I'll have your sister sculpt a face worth ten thousand taels of gold for you. Go out for a stroll, and I guarantee all the pirates in Shengzhou will be lining up to chop off your head and sell it for money."

Luo Meng shrank back, quickly shut his mouth, and took two steps back while holding the basin of water.

Chen Yuanzhi was engrossed in studying the Thousand Poisons and Myriad Gu Scripture when he heard this, and answered without even looking up.

"Old Luo, you don't understand. The boss's face looks like that of an honest and unassuming person, exuding a cowardly air that's easy to bully. That's called keeping your wealth hidden and your killing intent concealed."

Honest and dutiful?

Luo Meng glanced at the black blade Devouring Sea that gleamed with an eerie light beside Xu Hao, then at his miserable face, and felt a pang of sympathy.

Which honest fisherman could suck the life out of a Bone Forging Realm expert with a single stroke?

"Alright." Xu Hao stood up and pressed the edge of the mask down completely. "Face is the least valuable thing. Being able to live and make money is the real skill."

He turned to look at Luo Ying, "Are there any more materials?"

Luo Ying nodded.

"Get one for Zhenhai's second-in-command too." Xu Hao pointed to Chen Yuanzhi, who was still reading the Poison Classic. "His face is just as famous as mine."

Chen Yuanzhi paused in his book-turning, looked up, and sighed helplessly.

Luo Ying smiled, pursing her lips, and rummaged through the tattered cloth bag to find a few pieces of prepared fish skin.

"It's already prepared for the second-in-command." Luo Ying smiled, walked up to Chen Yuanzhi, and looked him up and down. "The second-in-command's physique is best suited to the face of a down-on-his-luck accountant. Darken his eye sockets, make his complexion sallow, and give him a sickly look. He'll be sure to go anywhere without anyone questioning him."

"A sickly look is fine, just don't make it too disgusting." Chen Yuanzhi resignedly put down the Poison Sutra and moved his face closer. "Thank you, Miss Luo. The less noticeable the face, the better."

Just then, the picture of the blessed land in my mind began to tremble violently.

The Zhenyuan ship completely digested the blood gu seal residue extracted from Luo Ying's body.

A line of golden characters appeared in my mind.

Unlock rare traits and trace your bloodline origins.

After consuming objects or flesh bearing the tracking mark, it can pinpoint the exact location of the imprinter or aura of the same origin.

Xu Hao closed his eyes. On the nautical map in his mind, several glaring red dots were clearly visible, hovering in the waters near Cold Iron Island.

This is the location of the Blood Corpse Alliance patrol ship.

Xu Hao opened his eyes, a smile playing on his lips.

……

The nautical chart was spread out.

Chen Yuanzhi pointed to the edge of the Guixu Rift: "Boss, the news Luo Ying brought back has been confirmed. The Sea King's Tomb has appeared, and the spies of the Three Alliances and the Twelve Bandits have all gone in. The water is too deep, and our numbers are too small. If we go there, we won't even get a taste of the soup, and we'll just get ourselves into trouble."

Luo Meng, who was listening from the side, scratched his head and couldn't help but interject, "Boss, our ship is heavily defended now, and you've just broken through to a higher realm. Don't you want to join in the fun? What if you manage to get some ancient divine skill? Then we won't have to stand here at sea in the cold wind every day."

"Save your head, my foot!" Xu Hao slapped Luo Meng on the back of the head. "The Three Alliances and Twelve Bandits have Yi Jin Realm cultivators as common as dogs, and Tong Qiao Realm cultivators are everywhere. With the few pieces of meat on our ship, are we going to be buried alive with some ancient sea king?"

Luo Meng rubbed his head, muttered a couple of things, and then fell silent.

Xu Hao tapped his finger heavily on the nautical chart, drawing a long line along the Shengzhou sea area, straight north, pointing directly to Mingzhou.

"Don't get involved. Let them fight like dogs." Xu Hao made the decision. "Luo Meng, go to Shengfan. Stick close to the edges of each faction, and we'll go directly to Mingzhou to find the Prince of Zhenbei."

Chen Yuanzhi's hand gripping the account book tightened suddenly, his knuckles turning slightly white.

He lowered his head, staring intently at the line on the nautical chart leading to Minnesota, his eyes churning with intense emotions.

Since boarding this demon ship, Xu Hao's strength has grown like a monster, and his methods of killing and robbing are even more efficient than those of the old pirates.

Chen Yuan often couldn't sleep at night.

He fears.

It's likely that this ruthless star, capable of crushing even a Bone Forging Realm expert with a flick of his wrist, has long forgotten about the deal in Chenzhou.

After all, being a local tyrant in this lawless sea is much more comfortable than stirring up trouble and rebellion in Mingzhou.

He was even prepared for Xu Hao to back out at any time, and for him to be thrown into the sea to be fed to the fish.

Unexpectedly, he still remembered.

"What's wrong, Second Boss? You can't bear to leave the scenery at sea?" Xu Hao glanced at Chen Yuanzhi.

Chen Yuanzhi snapped back to reality, coughed twice to cover his embarrassment, and said, "Boss, you're joking."

"But the rules of the Zhenhai Alliance are very strict, and it might be difficult for us to cross over."

"Even if it's difficult, we have to go."

Xu Hao toyed with the blood crystal in his hand. "That box of yours is practically moldy in my hands. If this drags on any longer, I'm afraid the Prince of Zhenbei won't be able to wait and will be wiped out by the Great Heng Dynasty first. Who will you collect the 30% profit you promised me then?"

Chen Yuanzhi couldn't help but smile, and quickly covered half of his face with the account book. "The boss is right, I'll go and take stock of the supplies now."

Watching Chen Yuanzhi walk briskly out of the main cabin, his steps were much lighter than usual.